University of Virginia Library


30

A CHINESE ODE PARAPHRASED.

Behold, where yon blue riv'let glides
Along the laughing dale;
Light reeds bedeck its verdant sides,
And frolic in the gale:
So shines our prince! In bright array
The virtues round him wait;
And sweetly smil'd th'auspicious day,
That rais'd him o'er our state.
As pliant hands in shapes refin'd
Rich iv'ry carve and smooth,
His laws thus mould each ductile mind,
And ev'ry passion soothe.
As gems are taught by patient art
In sparkling ranks to beam,
With manners thus he forms the heart,
And spreads a gen'ral gleam.
What soft, yet awful, dignity!
What meek, yet manly, grace!
What sweetness dances in his eye,
And blossoms in his face!

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So shines our prince! A sky-born crowd
Of virtues round him blaze:
Ne'er shall oblivion's murky cloud
Obscure his deathless praise.